12 Physiologies

 In the context of yoga, there are 12 physiologies, including physical systems, mental, spiritual and ethereal. A Yoga practice benefits all 12 systems.

1. Integumentary

2. Fascial

3. Skeletal

4. Muscular

5. Circulatory

6. Respiratory

7. Digestive

8. Eliminative

9. Endocrine

10. Nervous

11. Mental-Emotional

12. Pranic

Number 11 is one of my favorite parts of practicing yoga. 

Here are some notes I took recently, addressing how yoga affects the Mental-Emotional, from my YTT manual at Bodhi Yoga. 

"A balanced Yoga practice will increase mental function, concentration, focus and awareness. When postures are repeated on each side of the body, it connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain. This re-wires the brains coordination toward creative and logic thought connections. With each positive experience, where the yogi attains things that seemed beyond their reach, ideas of self-doubt and negativity are transformed into a place of openness, and non-judgement. This release of repeated or ingrained thought patterns can liberate the potential of the individual." 

There are four mental states of consciousness:

Beta-waking states of active conversation

Alpha- day dreaming, creative, introspective thought

Theta- just prior to deep sleep where the body resets hormonal and chemical levels 

Delta- deep sleep/ REM cycles

For me, personally, I have noticed I feel very different when I'm teaching a class (Beta) vs. when I'm attending a yoga class (Alpha, occasionally Theta).